She's stayin' over
by hikari107
Summary: Shikamaru gets a surprise guest who is staying over for a while. A month, actually. Kami knows what happens next. Implied ShikaTem.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

A/N: Sentences in _italics_ are Temari's thoughts.

Nara Shikamaru stared, astonished at the woman who'd just waltzed into his small one bedroom apartment and made herself at home as a a heavy downpour beat furiously at the windows.

"Temari-san, are you sure you want to stay here while you're in Konoha?"

The blonde kunoichi merely yawned and stretched, shifting a bit on the living room couch. Her fan lay undisturbed by the door. She ripped off her hair ties and let her hair fall all over one of the couch pillows as she lay down for a nap. Closing her eyes, she sleepily replied,

"What's wrong? All the inns are full and the person I trust most in this country. Besides, I don't know where anybody else I know here lives. Do you want me out or something?"

The male picked up her bag, which had been lazily tossed by the television and put it on the coffee table, saying nothing. He disappeared into the kitchen, then reappeared bearing a mug of hot chocolate, which he set on the coffee table as well.

"Its cold outside. Warm yourself up," he pushed the mug to her. Temari sat upright, thanked him for the drink and took a sip.

"Not bad. I don't suppose you're gonna charge for this?" she laughed. Shikamaru shook his head.

"Nah, though helping out around the house would be appreciated. As you can see," he looked around the unkempt place he called home after he flew the coop two years ago,"This place ain't exactly the same standard as a nice inn."

She eyed the pile of laundry in a corner – probably left out since the beginning of the week-- then turned her attention to the nervous pineapple head standing in front of her.

"This place does need a woman's touch. If you weren't here, I'd have mistaken it for some bratty bachelor's dorm," she remarked in slight disdain.The blonde observed the bored look on her companion's face.

_'How troublesome', he must think. 'She's rubbing salt in my wounds,'_

"Anyway, about where you plan to sleep," droned Shikamaru, wanting to get this over with.

"You never stay for just one night unless you're on your way somewhere else. Which you aren't. And this place only has one bedroom, unless you don't mind sleeping in the study."

She finished the hot chocolate.

"Where's the study?"

Shikamaru'd made dinner. Wait, he could cook?

_This better be edible._

She took a spoonful of fried rice, cautious, but once she deemed it fit for human consumption, she smirked, then turned to the man sitting next to her on the sofa (he had no use for a dining room since he lived alone now, and ate in front of the telly).

"Not bad, Nakimushi,"she teased.

A grunt in response, his eyes glued to the screen, which depicted a rather exciting action sequence,with two men fighting over a young woman, who he seemed particularly interested in. The rest of dinner was spent in an awkward silence. Shikamaru thought it troublesome to talk.

_He doesn't mind me callin' him a crybaby anymore, eh?_

_I guess he's matured._

He did seem more mature. No more whining, no more complaining, being strong and silent. What had happend to the old Shika she loved to tease and talk to? Perhaps he was getting a bit emotional.

_After all, his master's fourth death anniversary is in two days, if Ino is to be trusted. Well, she couldn't have been lying -- she was there when he kicked the bucket. Also, when I saw Chouji today, his appetite and hers was a bit lax as I treated them to lunch._

It explained the half eaten rice as she kindly helped Shikamaru to wash the dishes, as well as his alcohol saturated breath.

It was depression, it seemed.

She recognised the symtoms from when her own father suffered from it at one point. Job stress, like Shikamaru's.

The man was promoted to jounin a year ago, and now, there had been an influx of missions for him, in fact, he had returned from one a mere day before she had arrived to stay at his place.Plus, the Hokage wanted for him to go on a three day mission a day before his sensei's death day. He would not spend that day by his grave, burning incense and leaving him a pack of cigarettes and flowers, which saddened him greatly, as he always made it a point to visit every year. That, and he felt obliged to take care of Kurenai and her daughter, now three.

The next day, as Temari stood on one side of the apartment door, with Shikamaru at the corridor, he handed her the keys to his home.

"I'll be away for three days. Don't mess up the house," he told her sternly. A few paces after he had turned his back to her, she called him back.

"Nakimushi!"

"Hmm, troublesome woman?"

Her fingers dug into the palm of her hands.

"I'll take care of Kurenai- san for you and as for Asuma-san, I'll visit him for you, is that alright?"

"Hmm."

"Also, I'm gettin' rid of the beer in your fridge. All of it. That stuff ain't good for you."

He wore a surprised look on his face.

"What the hell?"

Temari had taken an hour to locate Kurenai, since the village was huge. The pleasant, raven haired woman was at the playground,watching Kimiko play. The blonde sat down beside her, a plastic bag filled with groceries at her side. The older woman noticed the other one's presence, greeted her, then called for Kimiko to do the same.

"When'd you get here,Temari-san? " asked Kurenai, red eyes focused on the female who looked whimsically at her daughter's half baked efforts to try and make a castle out of pebbles without it crumbling to a pile of stone.

"Arrived in Konoha two days ago. I'm stayin'over at Nakimushi's place since all the inns are full."

"Nakimushi?"

"Nara Shikamaru, sorry. I'm just too used to calling him that. Its a habit now."

Crimson lips turned upwards at the corners.

"D'you help out around the house in return or something? You know,he could use a woman like you around him all the time to keep him in check."

Temari shot her a look that said, ' WHAT THE--'.

"I help him tidy the house, maybe make him a snack, but that's it. He's off on a mission now, anyway, so I'm taking care of the house. By the way, that's why I'm here. Shikamaru's always payin' you visits, right?" she passed Kurenai the groceries, " Well, here,don't go about assuming anything."

There was pleasent conversation afterwards, before Kurenai said she had to go. Turned out, they were both visiting Asuma's grave. Some more polite words, then both women returned to their abodes(Okay, for Temari, it wasn't actually hers).

Soon after, Shikamaru returned right on schedule. Truth be told, it felt like he was coming home to his wife or something, with Temari serving most of the purposes a wife did in his eyes ( cook,clean...).

He wouldn't be saying 'Honey,I'm home!' anytime soon, though, or she'd whack him with that fan of hers, kick him around, then deck him once or twice more for the heck of it. When he entered his home, he found she had made dinner, which was fish with some rice, and left it, covered in clingfilm on the coffee table while she had an evening siesta in the study. The pineapple head smiled, then rummaged through the fridge for something to drink

_What do you know, she was serious about getting rid of the beer. _

A/N: Moi's first ShikaTem fanfic. Me loves that pairing. Sorry ShikaIno fans, but I don't approve of ShikaIno. As for my personal feelings on this, let's just say it ain't my most favourite fanfic. If I can muster the energy to, you guys might be seeing me write more ShikaTem fics. Me brother's suggesting that I turn this into a series, which I might. Sorry if I shorten my words too much.Bye for now, my brother wants his turn at the computer. Review!

Hikari


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

-0-

Shikamaru stood before Asuma's grave,stucks of incense smoking in his hands. Squatting down, he prayed and stuck them in the ground, noticing that an expensive brand of cigarettes had been set on the grave.

They weren't there when he first arrived.

He felt a presence behind him, then heard a cough.

''He better like 'em.'' came Temari's voice.

''It felt weird buying them since I've never smoked before, unlike you.''

She squatted down beside the male, praying as well, then followed him as he turned to leave.

''Hey, how did it taste?''

He continued walking, half-lidded eyes focused on the cotton candy-like clouds in the pale blue sky above him.

''Whaddya mean, troublesome woman? Last night's dinner? It was great.''

''Not last night's dinner, silly. Cigarettes. I figure you might as well sick you head in a chimney if you want to breathe in carcinogens. By the way, incense is carcinogenic. Just thought you might like to know.''

A minute of silence.

''You know what? It's been so long since I last smoked, I've forgotten. It's probably bitter, despite how some cigarettes contain menthol. Say, would you like to play shougi later with me?''

She nodded, ectastic.

''I'll kick your arse this time.''

''Wanna bet?''

-0-

The lollipop in Shikamaru's mouth dropped to the floor when hisjaw dropped in astonishment. She beat him. The woman really beat him at shougi. Temari folded her arms and gave a satisfied smirk.

''Erm, what was the bet again, troublesome woman?''

''Loser has to wash the dishes. In a pink, frilly apron. Winner...''

She looked at the portable gaming console on the sofa as they played shougi in the living room.

''...gets to play with that naff little thing over there for the day. I have a high score to reach so if you'll excuse me, I'll get on with my game. Get washing, Nakimushi.''

_Oh, aren't you a polite little girl? Not. Darn Temari..._

_-_0-

It was bad enough humiliating himself when there was just him and Temari around, but then his parents had to decide on dropping by for a surprise visit on that day. Their laughing could be heard from the next block, proven by a neighbour from the eight floor there greeting them with a polite shout of , ''Hey! Keep it down ya flippin' hooligans!'' from his window.

''Decided to be a woman now, huh, son?'' joked Shikaku.

The joke wasn't very funny to the younger Nara, who ignored his father and continued to wash the dishes, much to the disdain of his mother,Yoshino, who soon diverted her attention to the female in her son's apartment who was currently rejoicing over a 'major' win at the pachinko game on Nakimushi,eh, Shikamaru's console.

''Woo! I beat your high score, Nakimushi! Eat your heart out!''

All three Naras sweat dropped.

''She's actually not as stupid as she's acting right now. We had a bet, you see. Whoever loses at a game of shougi washes the dishes in this equally stupid excuse for an apron,'' droned Shikamaru, anticipating a remark on Temari's un-lady-like behaviour from his mother. His parents' jaws hit the void deck. A woman actually managed to beat their unbelievably smart son at shougi?! That was a first. Truth be told, the female species usually didn't even bother to play with him in the first place.

This piece of news got Yoshino fairly excited. It would be wonderful to chat with such a woman, which she did right away, plopping down on the sofa beside Temari and engaging the blonde in small talk. Shikaku meanwhile, ambled over to his son's refrigerator, swung the door open, then got disappointed by what he saw.

''What the--?! Where's the alcohol I saw here last time I came?''

The son indicated his blonde roommate with a rubber gloved hand.

''Her fault. She got rid of 'em all. I reckon if I got some more, I'd get to know how her iron fan looks like up close,'' he sighed, wiping a plate. Shikaku settled for a can of soda.

''Problems with women, son?'' asked the father, watching the can let off a fizzle as it bubbled slightly.

''You bet. Why's mom so excited about my new room mate anyway?''

Shikaku stared at the ceiling as he thought for a bit.

''It's a female thing, I guess. She's been trying to play matchmaker for you ever since things didn't quite work out with Shihoh. Your mother didn't think you'd like any of the girls she picked for you...until now. Temari-san's perfect.''

Shikamaru nearly mistook the detergent for soda as he tried to get something to calm himself down.

''That insensitive workaholic with close to no tact?!''

''You ain't gettin' any younger son. Or would you have preffered Ino?''

Before the younger Nara could fire back another answer, he got distracted hearing his mother tell his potential bride some embarassing childhood secrets.

''MMMOOOMMM!!''

-0-

Shikamaru contemplated getting rid of the woman staying with him now, or his mom would insist on 'popping by' every single day of the month. His consciense, however, disagreed. He couldn't just shoo her off like some stray cat or dog. Sure, she had invited herself in, but he had **agreed.** Somewhat willingly, at that, perhaps out of sympathy. It was raining that day and she had no shelter after all. Although in actual fact, that woman had refused the current Hokage, Naruto's offer to reserve her a room in Konoha's finest inn each time she had to come for business. It had been a gesture of courtesy towards her yongest brother, one of his closest friends. Still, she hadn't wanted to impose on the Hokage , so why impose on him?

_'Cuz she knew that staying in the Kobayashi Inn for one month would waste a lot of money, my dear friend?_

That was his consciense speaking, the annoying thing. He wanted to shut it up. Ah well, at least she had enough courtesy to help around the house.

''Hey, Shikamaru, anything wrong?''

_Oh, it's Chouji._

The tub of lard he called his best friend was waving a fat hand in front of his face. Chouji held up three sausage fingers.

''How many fingers am I holding up? C'mon, answer me buddy, don't scare me like that...''

Noticing the sizzling yakiniku, plates, chopsticks and condiments, the pineapple head remembered that he was treating his closest buddy to lunch. Now awoken from his thinking session, Shikamaru grabbed a piece of meat before Chouji could, before stealing a swig of saké.

''Shikamaru, you can tell me if you have any problems. I won't laugh if its embarassing. You know me,'' said the tubby guy, concerned. Putting the glass down, the Nara sighed.

''You know how everybody's wondering where Gaara's sister is staying, with her never being seen near an inn?''

''Yeah. Don't tell me...''

The pineapple head held a hand to his forehead.

''She's bunking with me. Sleeps in the study, takes care of my laundry, my meals and the house. Threw out ALL my alcohol, even the secret stashes. Beat me in shougi yesterday, made me wear a PINK apron. Worst of all, while I was wearing it, my parents dropped by. Humiliating. My mom is particularly taken with her. The troublesome woman now thinks TW2 is her best friend. Probably because they both like torturing me.''

'''TW2' obviously meant 'troublesome woman 2 .' Anyway, I have one sentence to sum up your one paragraph. 'She's your wife'.''

Shikamaru sighed in annoyance, rubbing his temples. He wasn't the type to lose his cool over something so trivial.

''No.''

''Well, she nags, she does housework, she cooks, she does laundry, she forbids alcohol...,'' Chouji counted everything Temari did on his fingers,'' Wives do that too.''

''So do mothers.''

The porky guy's friend reached for the saké, only to have his hand smacked away.

''Didn't you say the woman forbade booze? She'll have your scrawny little hide if she smelt it in your breath when you get home.''

Shikamaru stuffed meat into his friend's mouth so he would shut up.

-0-

A/N: Hello, its me again! Thought I would write another chappie since you guys liked the first one so much! Not a lot to say about this chappie, though... Review!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

-0-

As expected, there was vicious gossip when word got out about Temari's new residence, courtesy of Ino, who decided that this was exciting news after Chouji accidentally leaked it to her. This drove Shikamaru nuts. Of all things, his best friend had to spill the beans. He would probably never trust anybody else again.

Nah, he was getting too paranoid.

_Get rid of her,_ a voice in his head seemed to say.

_She's too troublesome to have around woman'll screw your life up._

'' Isn't it already? '' he thought. She was convenient to have around, and kept him company. He could not bear to tell her to get out of his apartment. He would have to bear with all the attention focused on him now, while trying not to go into depression again.

Wait, depression?

He was not an angsty, depressed sod anymore. Why didn't he notice that? And he'd pretty much given up on alcohol. Her fault, he guessed.

He needed to find out a bit more about how word got around, so ,sulking in his bedroom, he decided to lie down, take a deep breath, and call Chouji. The Nara certaintly wasn't in the mood to get out of the house to meet his ,um, 'husky' friend in person. Besides, he might get mobbed by other nosy parker acquaintances and friends if he moved an inch out of his apartment.

_Troublesome. 'Pudgy' better answer the damn call._

Slowly, he punched in the number, held the receiver to his ear and listened to the ringing of the dial-tone. A couple of seconds passed, then he sat upright and cleared his throat.

_Where's TW2 anyway? Haven't seen her since I woke up. Didn't even leave me breakfast , too. Hmph._

''Hello? Shikamaru?'' crackled a familiar voice from the other end of the phone.

''Expecting Shino?'' the slimmer male replied sarcastically. Chouji could hear the faint tapping of his friend's rugged fingers on the receiver. Knowing him, it meant , in Shika—speak ( for lack of a better name): _'You've really screwed me up this time and I'm waiting for an explanation.'_

Ooh, boy was he in trouble.

-0-

''.....a Freudian slip, you say?''

Chouji nodded at the other end of the phone line. Shikamaru's eyebrows knitted. Having known his friend for years, he knew that the chubby one was usually extremely careful not to spill any of the secrets told to him, no matter how much someone,especially Ino,probed him.

He had ended the call soon after, choosing to believe his friend's excuse.

As he entered the kitchen to get himself a glass of water, Shikamaru saw something he did not expect.

A cat.

There was a large ball of long, thick, black and white fur on the counter, eating sardines off a napkin. The feline looked up to stare at him with large, pleading emerald eyes.

''Meow.''

The thing was, Shikamaru did **not** like cats. They were like women to him—willful, stubborn, fussy and troublesome. Temari must have brought the little guy in, although said woman was nowhere to be seen. That was, until the front door clicked open.

_Speak of the devil._

''Oh. Hey there, Nakimushi,'' the woman greeted him,''I see you've met Futeki.''

He blinked.

''Futeki? As in 'fearless'?''

She nodded and set her bags of groceries next to the feline, who sniffed at them eagerly. Temari scratched it behind the ears before she removed a tin of cat food from a bag, set it on the counter, and put everything else in the cabinets and refridgerator. Shikamaru folded his arms, scowled and started to tap his foot on the tiled kitchen floor.

''I'm waiting. You better have a good explanation for this.''

Temari smiled.

''Well, I saw the little guy facing off against a rottweiler. I managed to save it, but its tail was injured,'' she explained, pointing to a bandage she had wrapped around said feline's appendage. It purred, leapt off the counter and rubbed its head on the woman's leg, then hissed at Shikamaru when he tried to kick it away from his own leg. Temari glared at him, annoyed, then picked the animal up.

''Jeez, this is _my_ house, woman,'' sighed the male, rubbing his forehead with his right middle and index finger, '' you can't just bring critters as and when you like in here. I don't own an animal shelter, you know.''

''I know,'' she replied, stroking the cat's back,''I'll let him go later. Meanwhile, I'd like to give him a little love. The only pets I've ever had were plants, and plants can't pur.''

''What about that freaky talking one eyed weasel of yours?'' ,the man did not like how the creature in his roommate's arms kept staring at him with eyes uncannily like said roommate.

"Kamatari's not freaky, and I can't just summon him for a chat, you know? He hates it."

Then she sneezed. Oh right, Temari's nose was sensitive to fur.

Wait, _what_?

"Stupid woman, you're allergic!" he hurriedly snatched the now angry feline from her, "how much more dumb could you be?!"

Futeki attempted to scratch his face, but was unsuccessful as he held it by the scruff of the neck and headed towards the front door. The woman pursued him, but was too late. He set the cat down at the top of a flight of stairs, nudged it with his foot, and prompted it to dash off to freedom. Satisfied as the cat disappeared from sight, he brushed his sleeves with his hands smugly. Temari heard a comment from the floor below them as she watched Shikamaru saunter back to the apartment. Something like an old lady remarking on how cute Futeki was and that she would call it Tsugumi, unaware that the cat was male.

Guess she couldn't have it her way all the time, could she?

As she headed to the bathroom to brush off all the fur left on her dress, Temari heard her 'landlord' calmly demand,

"Starving. Food. Now."

She smirked in mock surrender.

"Go eat the leftover cat food."

"Hey!"

Women, the ungrateful creatures. He just saved her from a week of sneezing, coughing and a running nose. Why did the stupid female go bring a cat back home when she was allergic? She should be thanking him for saving her.

_Okay, now I sound like a superhero for 'saving' her. But who cares?_

Was she serious about the cat food? He had just got his paycheck for a mission and he could just spend a little of it on takeout, but he intended on saving for a rainy day. He was too lazy to head to the shop to order anyway. Ten minutes passed, and still no food in sight as he flipped through the channels on television.

Boring, boring and …even more boring. His mind needed stimulation. A game of shougi, perhaps, but no bets. Where did Temari get a hold of a pink apron anyway? He turned to look at the kitchen, hoping the woman would be hard at work preparing whatever she had planned for him to ingest. Instead, he found her lying on her side on the kitchen floor, her back to him. Panicked, he jumped off the couch and dashed over to shake her still body as he knelt beside her. There was movement as she started to wheeze, eyes closed as if in pain. Grabbing the telephone, he dialed for Sakura.

-0-

_Mind stimulated enough now?_ A sarcastic voice rang in his head as he stood, fingers fidgeting, before the blonde woman lying on his couch and the cherry blossom haired female examining the former, who was breathing heavily.

"She's fine now, just needed rest," Sakura finally got up. Shikamaru heaved a sigh of relief as he watched his companion. Eyes closed, her breathing slowed to a steady pace after the medical ninja had rendered aid. The pink haired one explained that she had an allergic reaction, and that that reaction had complicated and affected her respiratory system. He turned to the one on the couch.

"Hate to say it," he smirked, "but told ya so. Yet another reason not to bring animals in here."

She scowled and childishly stuck her tongue out at him in defiance. He was too lazy to react.

"However, there is one thing I noted," Sakura held a gloved finger up, "Temari-san has a weakened immune system. That's why the reaction was so strong. If you're going to let her live with you, Shikamaru," she glared at him, eyes narrowed, "you had better take good care of her. Or I will personally come rip the hair from your scalp."

He gave a nervous laugh as his companion grinned in silent mirth, before he showed the pink haired one to the door and thanked her for treating Temari. Sakura was not the type to break a promise.

"Hear that?" Temari slowly sat up, coughing slightly, teal eyes bright in amusement, "You'll have to take good care of me."

She had figured that she would have to be the one taking care of Shikamaru when she first arrived at his humble abode, the exact reason she had come in the first place. She had wanted to, no, _needed_ to feel needed, to alleviate the sense of loneliness that overcame her whenever she returned from work in Konoha to an empty hotel room.

Gaara and Kankuro had their own lives now. And she no longer saw them at home very often after returning from a mission, because now they lived apart, each brother having wanted to be independent. She had told them it was a good thing, but she did not realize the impact it made on her emotional health. When they left, a sense of helplessness had overcome her. Watching them walk out the door to their new homes and hearing the rolling of the wheels of the suitcases they dragged with them frightened her. They only had each other for family, long orphaned, but now that bond they shared was slowly growing weaker, thinner. The woman feared one day, it would all snap, then boom, family no more.

Until then, she looked at staying over at Shikamaru's place as an opportunity for escapism, to tear her away from the stark reality that her family may no longer be. They didn't need her anymore, but when Ino told her on her last visit that her friend's apartment and he needed care, she had an idea.

He needed care, and she needed to feel needed. It was perfect. He didn't need to know, and she got what she wanted, easy.

"Here."

Shikamaru had opened a can of soup and prepared it for her, setting the bowl on the coffee table before the kunoichi.

"I'm no doctor, but I read that a weak immune system may be caused by stress and lack of sleep, and I know you've been through plenty of both, so that's why you're in this mess. Drink up, but be careful, it's hot. Oh, what the heck."

He sat down on the edge of the couch and scooped a little of the liquid with a spoon before turning to her.

"Say 'aah'," he muttered, feeling silly. Temari guessed the genius had misinterpreted 'take good care of her' as 'treat her like a spoilt five year old'. It felt patronizing, but she opened her mouth and let him spoon-feed her for fun. After he'd blown on the spoon, of course, he didn't want to burn her tongue. That man could really surprise her sometimes. At least no one was watching this embarrassing situation.

"Weren't you the one complaining about being hungry just now, Nakimushi?" she gave him an innocent look. He smiled.

"Like the old rule says, ladies first, you troublesome woman."

-0-

A/N: I know, its been a long time, but sadly I don't think the duration between each upload will be getting any shorter. I apologize for that. Meanwhile, I'd like to thank those who have reviewed (like Rohain Tahquil, she's been very kind) and a schoolmate of mine. She's not a fan of Naruto but she's read every fanfiction script I've written this year(not spoiling it for you guys, but I've actually long written the last chapter of She's Stayin Over).

I hope you guys enjoyed this story and I'd appreciate a review :)


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Oh no, not another one of these to write. I don't own Naruto, okay?

-0-

"Baby-sit Kimiko? Oh sure, we can handle it," Temari smiled at Kurenai, who stood outside the door to Shikamaru's apartment with a glad look. The woman's energetic young daughter escaped from her mother's protective hands and into the abode, leaping onto the stomach of a sleeping Nara.

"Oof! Hey, watch it!"

His half lidded eyes took in the sight of a three year old girl sitting on his midriff, a grin plastered on her adorable face.

"Uncle Shika!" she exclaimed, arms wide open as she begged him to carry her.

_Oh, it's only her, not some random cat._

He complied and lifted her up with one strong arm as her tiny arms wrapped around his neck. She giggled as he reached into a drawer in his bedroom desk and pulled out a lollipop for her. Turning, he noticed Temari and Kurenai at his bedroom door, looking slightly amused.

"Baby-sitting again, Kurenai? For how long this time?" Shikamaru had his free hand on his waist.

"Until Friday—I've a two day mission," the ruby-eyed one replied, somewhat worried that it would inconvenience her junior this time round.

"You've done a great job since she was a baby, is it still alright?"

He nodded, she left Kimiko's belongings in a small cloth bag on his bed, and then she took her leave. Without a husband to support her daughter and her, Kurenai still took up missions as a source of income. Usually Sakura, Ino or even Hinata would offer to baby-sit for her while she was away (Tenten didn't know her well), but Shikamaru would do it sometimes. Custody of Kimiko would go to him if anything happened to her, for sure. Knock on wood.

Now Temari and Kimiko had met before, but neither knew the other very well. Temari had no idea that Shikamaru had ever baby-sat before until now.

The blonde hesitantly walked over.

"Um, hello there, Kimiko-chan…"

The man looked at her with curious but amused eyes. It was an awkward moment for the kunoichi, he knew, and the word 'pedophobia' came up in his mind, though he would hardly consider this a fear of children. For her, it was a fear of outright rejection, rather.

Kimiko, wondering why the woman was so nervous, merely reacted by laughing and sticking the lollipop she was sucking on in Temari's lower left ponytail. She broke out into a great laughing fit when she saw the blonde attempt to vainly pull the sweet out.

It was no use. The sweet had stuck to the strands of rough, spiky blonde hair and would not come off. Shikamaru, temporarily shedding his gentlemanly side, joined the little girl.

"Nice hair accessory," he guffawed, "there's a pair of scissors in the kitchen—I could get them for you."

"Cut my hair off?! You little--"

She let out a low growl in exasperation and proceeded to the bathroom, presumably to try to wash the offending piece of candy off. Setting Kimiko down, he cheekily stood outside the door and proclaimed that it was more effective to have the entire ponytail hacked off. Temari opened the door and hurled a bottle of green tea scented body scrub at his head. It knocked him right at the back of his head, messing up his own ponytail. Smirking after watching him wince, she slammed the door closed again.

_Sweet revenge for TW2, I guess. She has a strong arm._

He looked around for the bottle of liquid soap so he could put it back after the woman was done with her hair, and then realized Kimiko was gone.

_Congratulations, you have to take care of mini-Houdini!_

Rushing around his small apartment, he found her in the kitchen, opening the drawers to use as steps to get to a bag of lemon gumdrops on the counter.

_Darn Temari and her sugar cravings!_

Hurriedly, he picked her up and used his right knee to push the drawers back, just before she could heave herself onto the counter top. Handing the open bag to the little girl, he sighed, allowing her to reach in to grab as many as she could grab in her tiny fists and cram in her mouth.

Temari, hair wet and let loose to reach just past her shoulders, entered the compound with a towel around her neck to see the three year old helping herself to her sweets. She gave Shikamaru a 'could-I-have-my-stuff-back' look.

"Look, it'll just be two days, and I've already told Kurenai I'd take care of her. Could you help me, _please_? I'll buy you another bag when this is over," he begged. Temari rubbed her forehead.

"All right, since I told Kurenai-san it'd be no problem. The kid can have the gumdrops."

Kimiko pulled at her caretaker's shirt.

"Tee-vee," she squeaked, pointing to the living room. He nodded, put her down and watched as she ran over to turn the aforementioned television on. Grabbing the remote, she switched the channel to the kids' channel. Temari's favourite show was on, a reality television series featuring ninja in high-tension physical contests to test their agility, speed, strength et cetera. It contained some obscene language when contestants failed courses, so she couldn't possibly watch it with Kimiko. Turning away, she continued drying her hair with the towel.

_Two days, right?_

She noticed her room-mate kept staring at her and shot him a curious look.

"What's wrong?"

"It's…a bit weird," he hesitated.

"What is?"

He pointed to her hair.

"Your hair is down. I've never seen it down before, and you look…funny."

"Funny?" He had a point; no man outside of her family had seen her with her hair down—her female acquaintances occasionally liked to mess with it. He was used to seeing her hair in the usual four ponytails.

"You like it?" she teased. He ignored her and moved on to accompany his charge on the couch. She swore she saw him blush slightly. Maybe it was out of shyness; he was not the type to openly say he liked something, after all.

_Then again, what does_ he _look like with his hair down?_

-0-

"Green tea scented body scrub."

Shikamaru looked at Temari, who sat next to him on a bench while they watched Kimiko play in a playground. Her rough blonde hair was let down this time, the first time she had let it down in public. He still felt it awkward, but he told himself he would get used to it. She did look better with it down after all…

_Whoa there, stop with those thoughts!_

_...Wait, was that?_

"You have a problem with my choice of toiletries?" he raised a curious eyebrow at her, but she merely smirked, blonde fringe concealing those cat-like eyes.

"Oh, I don't know. My brothers won't go near scented soap. They think the normal kind is more…masculine. Menthol is as far as they'll go."

The male narrowed his eyes, not expecting this to become a topic of conversation.

"Well, I like it, so what's wrong?"

"It's queer," she calmly replied.

Her fringe was blown away from her face to reveal a slightly surprised expression when her roommate let out a deafening 'SAY WHAT' in her face, bright pink tingeing his cheeks.

She blinked and quipped ever so innocently, "doesn't 'queer' mean strange?"

"Not in today's context, stupid woman," his voice suddenly went low and soft. He whispered the colloquial meaning of 'queer' in her ear. Her lips rounded in an 'oh'.

"Still, I think _that_ meaning can be applied to my statement. I mean seriously, I thought men didn't like that sort of scented stuff. Unless…"

"I'm straight, okay? I just like the smell, after all."

"I can tell," she pouted, "what with your chauvinistic comments. It—"

He covered her mouth with a rough hand.

"Shut up and keep an eye on Kimiko already."

-0-

Kimiko would not stop whining when Temari tried to put her to bed. She wanted to watch some more television, but she wouldn't let her.

"Tee-vee!" she whined and struggled when the woman tucked her into Shikamaru's bed. It was nine o'clock and the man had gone to fetch a not-so late night snack. Nine o'clock, however, was the young girl's bedtime, and the woman felt the three year old needed to shut up and go to sleep already. Obviously, the little raven-haired one had other ideas. Lashing out, she poked Temari in the eye and kicked her in the chest, leaving her stunned long enough to escape, pulling off the covers and running out the room in her bright pink pinstripe pyjamas. By the time the caretaker's vision had cleared and she had headed out of the room to look for her charge, the young girl had turned on the television and was enjoying a children's program featuring several white fluffy bunnies singing nursery rhymes.

_Why the heck does the station air programs like this after the little kids are long asleep, huh?_

Her patience wearing down, the blonde turned off the blaring box and lifted the girl off the sofa, the younger one whining the entire time. When the woman set her on Shikamaru's bed once more, she started to cry. At that moment, Nara returned from his shopping trip, hearing his precious god-child's crying as he set the paper bags on the kitchen counter.

"What's going on?" Shikamaru entered the room and carried Kimiko in his arms, patting her back to soothe the child and glaring coldly at his roommate. He was clearly unhappy. Temari gave a nervous grin, but fell silent. It wasn't _her_ fault the kid was crying, was it?

"Alright, Kimiko-chan," the man ignored his companion and instead turned to the child in his arms, "you need to get to sleep or you won't have energy to play tomorrow, okay?"

The girl nodded with innocent ruby eyes, letting him tuck her into bed. The blonde observed in envy as Shikamaru sat on the edge of the bed next to Kimiko and told her a short bedtime story. It was the Three Little Pigs, ninja-style, to be exact.

The little girl was asleep within five minutes. Temari had been trying for fifteen.

-0-

"Kimiko's occupying your bed," Temari sat herself down beside Shikamaru on the sofa as the latter watched the nightly news.

"I'm occupying the study, so where'll you sleep, Nakimushi?"

"I used to sleep in the study before you came," he droned lifelessly, "so I guess I'll be sleeping on the sofa this time round."

"You can't sleep on the sofa!" the kunoichi protested.

"Well I've passed out drunk here before so what's the difference?" came the indifferent reply. He rolled his eyes.

"Unless you want to share—"

She smacked him across the face before he could complete his sentence, blushing slightly.

"Uncle Shika?" Kimiko peeped out of the door of Shikamaru's bedroom, clutching her pillow in a tiny hand, "nightmare. I scared."

Shikamaru sighed and shook his head. Another one of those days.

"Looks like I'll be accompanying Kimiko-chan."

He stood up and turned off the television, dragging himself over to the little girl. When this happened Kimiko needed someone beside her while she slept so she would feel secure. The door closed and Temari found herself alone, silently lamenting her lack of ability in taking care of children. Eventually she turned off the lights and retreated to her room. She would be turning in early that night.

-0-

A/N: Hmm, this chappie's a bit too choppy for my liking, hopefully the next one'll be less choppy.

The part with the meaning of the word 'queer' really happened to me before, when I told my younger brother some years ago that I found his behavior 'queer'. My dad's jaw dropped and he told me.

Anyway, enough of my crappy author's notes, I'd like to thank darkchocol8807 and EmeraldGreen4Life for reviewing (I'm getting review starved) and yes, I did read the second one's all caps 'UPDATE SOON'. Both of 'em. Hopefully, the next update won't take as long.

Review,dammit!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Gee, why is this _fan _fiction if I own Naruto? If I did, Shika-kun would take over from Naruto _permanently._ On with the fan-fic!

-0-

"She kicked you in the chest?"

Temari glared at Shikamaru, who was trying his best to stifle a laugh. Finally, he gave up holding back and broke into a chuckling fit.

"Frankly," he guffawed, "it's not very hard for her to miss."

TW2 held her hand up as if to hit him, teal eyes hardening with a dangerous edge.

"Tell me why I shouldn't strike you off my 'to kill' list," she threatened. He gulped, mentally chiding himself for being such a smart aleck. Why would she have a 'to kill' list? She wasn't an ANBU now, was she?

"Because then you'd have to take care of Kimiko by yourself?"

The caretakers simultaneously turned to the source of a shrill, excited little girl's voice; Kimiko ran towards their bench from the playground, a bunch of something pink, green and white in her hands.

"Uncle Shika, lookie!" she chirped, standing on tiptoe to show her godfather the posy of flowers she had gathered, "pretty flowers!"

He gently hoisted her onto his lap, and once the little girl settled down, she shoved the flora into his face.

"Very pretty, Kimiko-chan," he lightly pushed the vegetation away, "but Uncle Shika is a man. Men don't like flowers, women do." Then he turned to smile at his roommate. Temari seemed a bit surprised to be included in the conversation. Normally he would keep babbling to the little girl in as basic a form his language could get while forgetting the woman's existence.

_Who, me?_

Kurenai's daughter noticed what her godfather was hinting at, looking at her flowers and then at the woman. Hesitantly, she held the posy to her female caretaker.

"Call her Temari-neechan," Shikamaru told his goddaughter. She fell silent as the other female's nervousness grew.

"Auntie Tem-Tem!" she spouted suddenly. Temari fell off the bench in astonishment. Her roommate chuckled.

_That_ is_ a good name for TW2._

Nara helped her up, letting Kimiko stick a poppy behind the woman's ear. She handed her a daisy next, smiling like the child she was.

"I think she wants you to put that behind her ear," the male whispered to his companion. She gulped and tried as gently as it could to place it behind the girl's own ear. The three year old giggled once she was done, then left the rest of the flowers with her godfather before running for the swings. He caught Temari's hand before she could remove the poppy, clucking his tongue in an old-fashioned way.

"Keep it on, or you'll upset her," he warned, "what, is it giving you an itch?"

"No, it's just a little annoying. I feel ridiculous."

"When you're taking care of a kid, abandon your ego," Shikamaru sighed, "they don't have a clue what 'embarrassment' means yet."

_He has a point, for once…_

She grumbled and folded her arms. It was Thursday, so Kurenai would pick her daughter up at noon the next day. It was currently eleven in the morning, so twenty-five more hours' with that troublesome brat, minus the ten hours or so she would spend sleeping meant fifteen hours, and minus bath-time (which Shikamaru handled, expectedly), that would mean fourteen hours left with _her._ Her face fell as her stomach let its emptiness be audibly known, in a large growl that scared off a pigeon pecking at the pavement nearby. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at her as she shrugged defeated, then pulled out a sandwich from a woven tote bag he had with him, containing Kimiko's belongings and other peripherals.

"Here," Nara pushed the food into his roommate's hands, "I bought this from the convenience store earlier to snack on, but you can have it. Hopefully, it'll help you last to lunchtime without your tummy complaining again."

'Tummy'. She had only ever heard a word like that come out of a five year old, so it was…strange when Nakimushi said it. She stared at the innocent looking tuna sandwich in its triangular clear plastic cover in her hands, debating mentally if she should accept the man's gift.

"Are you eating it or not?"

She harrumphed at Shikamaru's rather curt question/demand and peeled the two halves of the plastic apart with a loud 'clack' before taking a big, not very lady-like bite out of the sandwich, munching hurriedly as if to say 'I'm, eating it, okay?!'.

"Slow down, you'll digest better. When you eat fast, pockets of air are trapped in your stomach. That's why people burp."

"I know that! Basic academy science!"

"The same applies with talking while you eat, woman," he stated, "so use your mouth to eat now, not to rant at me. And the less it goes out the front door, the more it goes out the back."

Temari choked on her sandwich at the last fact her roommate mentioned, prompting him to thump her on the back. She coughed, keeping the food in her mouth before swallowing it again.

_No need for the Heimlich maneuver. I am _so_ beating him to a bloody pulp if his hands get three feet too near my waist._

"What did you say that last part for?"

"I don't know," he smirked, "maybe I just like pissing you off."

That smirk.

That signature Nara smirk of his. He was feeling proud of himself.

She hit him upside the head.

"Ouch! That hurt, what was that for?"

She smirked at him, sandwich in hand.

"Maybe I just like beating you up."

-0-

Ino cooed as she carried the little girl in her arms. Shikamaru wondered what on earth had driven him to stop by his childhood teammate's family flower shop. The woman was going nuts over the arrival of Kurenai's child. Temari, on the other hand, started examining the various floras present, this being the only place where she saw tens of species of flowers in one place. Her hobby being botany, one could understand the desert kunoichi's excitement. Then desert held few opportunities to practise botany after all.

"Here, Auntie Ino has a nice flower for you," the sapphire-eyed platinum blonde bent down a little and pulled a vermillion parrot tulip from its vase at the end of the counter, giving it to little Kimiko.

"There, a friend for the daisy in your pretty hair," she smiled in satisfaction as the three year old held the flower gingerly and sniffed it. Nara reached into his pocket for his wallet, obliged to pay for the tulip.

"It's on the house, Shikamaru," the woman assured him with a wave of a slender hand, "since Kimiko-chan loves pretty flowers, doesn't she?"

"Yeah, Auntie Ino," she chirped. The blonde-haired person ruffled her long, thick black locks.

"Then is Auntie Ino pretty?"

"Yes she ish!"

She was so excited over the little girl she could not think straight, he could tell. Silently, hands shoved deep into his pockets, he made his way to Temari, who was examining a kind of rose.

"Do you want me…to buy that for you?" he offered apprehensively. Why he did that he had no idea.

"I don't think it'll be worth it," the female stood up from her semi-squat, rose in hand. "I like flowers because there are so many parts I can pull off to examine. This _Rosea centuriflora_ has more than enough petals for me to pull off, and pulling off petals is good fun."

He shuddered inwardly as Ino shot her a slightly shocked look. Of all the people she could confess a liking of torturing flora around, she _had_ to say it around a florist, in a flower shop, nonetheless. He wondered how long she had been resisting the urge to strip the poppy Kimiko had put in her hair of all its petals, separating it into its various compartments. Petals, stamens, pistil…

"I'll have this, thank you," Temari produced a note from her wallet and handed it to Ino, who handed the woman her change with some hesitation. The older woman's attention turned to a small shop across the street from Yamanaka's own. She set the rose back on the counter, went over to the tote bag at the end near the entrance and kept her back to them.

"I'll just be grabbing something to eat later, Nakimushi," she turned and walked out the door, the little bell ringing to signal her departure.

"I don't know what you see in her, she's…crazy," Ino shed her overly nice attitude for her more Ino-like, frank one once the other female was gone.

"Eccentric. I prefer the word 'eccentric'," Shikamaru replied, unfazed. He had to admit that he found Temari strange sometimes, but it was her mind, her body darn it and he could do nothing to change her behavior.

"That word doesn't even begin to describe her," her manicured eyebrows furrowed slightly in mild suspicion, "why do you let her stay with you? You could let her take up residence at forehead-girl's place—billboard brow and she would get along."

He simply shrugged and looked exceedingly bored.

"Because she's useful?"

"I don't like the sound of that. You just needed someone to take care of the mess that you call home didn't you—"

"It's not like that," he interrupted. Her blue eyes widened slightly in shock. She had known him practically all her life and rare was the time he spoke before letting someone else finish what he or she was saying. He had never been the kind to cut in.

"Okay, I admit it, I'm lonely. I need moments to myself sometimes, but not perpetually. It becomes boring after a while. Boring is what she is the extreme opposite of."

"You could get a dog. Or a cat," she bit her tongue. She would not lose to the logic of an eternally lazy smart-ass.

_Cats. Why does everybody I know like cats so much? Moreover, dogs, who knows what they eat before you let them lick your face?_

Kimiko whined and demanded to be put down, before scuttling to the back of the shop where the bathroom was located. Absent-mindedly, the man fingered the rose on the counter. Ino could be nice sometimes, but she poked her nose much too eagerly into everybody's business, especially his. Why did it matter so much to her anyway?

The rose was appealing, pastel pink layers of delicate paper-thin petals in layers seemingly amounting to the hundreds. Putting his index finger in the middle, he gently pushed the inner petals away to reveal a small cluster of stamens, tiny in comparison to the mass of petals. It was a bit like Temari, he guessed. Layers of emotional facades covering and protecting a core of weakness, even if it _was_ tiny. Layers built up steadily over years of turmoil and hardship to hide the little thing that kept her human. She was tough, bitter, blunt and occasionally crass and violent, but she did have a soft side, unlike what practically everybody around her believed.

To find it you just had to look very _very _carefully.

"Nakimushi?" Temari stepped back into the flower shop, plastic bag of something that smelt meaty in hand. Champon, probably. The poppy in her hair was missing. He frowned and pointed to her ear.

"Relax, its here," she reached into the tote bag on the counter and retrieved the poppy," I wasn't going to order with that behind my ear."

_So that's why she went over to the bag before she left._

"You looked better with it anyway," he joked. Her left eyebrow arched.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that last part."

He shook his head.

"Nothing."

Who knew what she would do if she _had_ heard.

-0-

A/N: I have an urge to write SasuTem. Don't ask me why. Leave a review and either tell me to snap out of it or suggest an idea for a SasuTem non-romance oneshot, I've been wondering if I should write one. Spellchecker keeps going back to 'English(U.S)' everytime I change it to 'English(U.K)'. The wonders of technology.

As always, review :)


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: No seriously, people, I do not own Naruto. Shika would be kicking bad guy ass most of the time if I did.

-0-

A little more.

Just a little more.

Shikamaru stared hard at his reflection, a towel encasing the lower half of his body to just below the knees. A razor blade was the sharpest thing that interacted with a man on a daily basis, and he did not wish to cut himself. Again. What was the use of Mother Nature granting facial hair to the male species, huh? He read somewhere that only seven percent of some women in a survey liked facial hair, remembering how his dad told him on one occasion that his mother had not quite approved of him growing a goatee at first. Either way he had no plans to start resembling his father even more than he already did.

"UNCLE SHIKA!"

The sudden shrill shriek caused a small cut next to his bottom lip in his fright, and he cussed quietly to himself, wiping at the stain and then wincing as the aftershave stung the affected area afterwards. He heard rapping at the bathroom door that could only have been Temari. What did she want now?

"Nakimushi, she won't get dressed and now she's locked herself in your bedroom!"

"It's not like _I'm_ dressed now so unless you don't mind me getting her out while in only a towel, would you wait until I'm done?"

Temari sighed to herself as she leaned against the wall next to the door, the girl's deep magenta frock lying still in front of her; left on the floor of the hallway after the girl had escaped from the kunoichi's grasp. Kimiko had not felt like wearing that one. She wanted to wear one of Temari's yukatas, which she had weeded out when she found the woman's rucksack the night before. Thankfully, she was found out before she could find the rest of Temari's clothes, or it would have been embarrassing. Shikamaru was the one who found her after all, with a violet yukata in her lap while she scoured for another. She _did not_ want him knowing what else she wore.

As to what he was wearing now…oh, right. Nothing but a towel. She tried not to laugh aloud once an image came into her mind. She used to live with two younger brothers, after all, and that meant she had seen men like that before, albeit though a carelessly unlocked bathroom door had been the cause. Both Kankuro and Gaara had the same reaction each time it happened; their eyes would widen and the color would drain from their faces before being replaced by a flood of raspberry red. They would shriek as though they were mice in terrible pain, before promptly slamming the door in her face. She grew up surrounded by the male species, so she wouldn't give a damn if he _did_ emerge half-naked from his bathroom.

The door to the bathroom clicked open and Shikamaru went out clad in a t-shirt and knee-length pants, a tiny cut barely visible on his cheek as he marched off to find the keys to unlock the door. A towel hung on the shower rack, wet. Probably the one he used.

_Wait a minute…_

It was _Temari's_ towel. The guy had been using her towel to dry himself and to wrap around his waist. She stuck her tongue out at the thought in disgust, before plopping the offensive towel in the washing machine. Usually, she was not one to care too much about hygiene while on missions, but this case had to be an exception. Then an image came into her mind--Nakimushi with a lavender towel with violet trimming around his waist, hair dripping and wearing a scowl. She promptly chuckled to herself. Meanwhile, Shikamaru tried coaxing Kimiko out of the room first before he would try his key on the door.

"Kimiko-chan, what's wrong?"

"Pretty yukata," squeaked the three-year-old girl. It sounded like she was crying, choking a little on her phlegm, "Auntie Tem-tem won't let me wear one."

That sentence was one of the longest Kimiko had ever said. For a three-year-old, she did not talk much, and Kurenai had considered speech therapy for her at one time, before he convinced her to give the girl some time. Children all developed at different rates, after all.

"Auntie Tem-tem's yukata is much too big for you, my dear. Will you come out for Uncle Shika now?"

He heard her give a tiny cough before answering 'no'. He could not believe he just said 'my dear', but he guessed it was appropriate for a girl he had helped raise from birth. It just seemed so…motherly, like a woman should be the one saying it. Turning towards the plodding of light footsteps, he watched as Temari stood in front of the door and commanded,

"Sarutobi Kimiko. Out of the room. NOW."

Her bluntness was expected, but not suited for speaking to a kid, at least to him. She would have sounded terrifying to the average twelve year old, let alone a kid a quarter of that age. He heard the little girl start bawling, letting out high-pitched cries and little hiccups. What had his roommate done? Her next move, however, baffled him.

"Kimiko-chan," the blonde one put her hand on the door as her tone of voice suddenly softened, like a sword becoming a butter knife, "Uncle Shika and Auntie Tem-tem want you to come out and put your dress on, okay? Now you've made Auntie Tem-tem upset; if you come out she won't be, and she'll buy you a yukata that can fit you."

She sounded…almost gentle. As if she was, the last person that anybody would expect to hurt a fly, although she had killed plenty of _people_ over the course of her career as a kunoichi. It was as if she was the kid's mother, although he knew who that was. Much to his amazement, the door clicked open, revealing a ruby-eyed three-year-old girl in nothing but her bright blue underwear, having escaped while the woman was trying to put the dress on her. Quickly, Temari put the frock on her and hoisted her up in her arms, passing her to Shikamaru.

"Really?" the man and his goddaughter stared in astonishment at the same time. Temari nodded.

-0-

"Why didn't you try that earlier?"

Shikamaru sipped his mug of coffee while Temari stood at the sink washing the dishes. Kimiko was watching television in the living room, and he hoped she would not watch it too often. Television was a bad influence for young children, he heard. She shrugged, setting a dish away.

"I thought she would be more comfortable speaking to you first. From the moment she first stepped in here I could tell she didn't like me that much."

"She does," he smiled behind his mug. She shot him a quizzical look.

"She told me once while you were having a shower that she found you weird and scary, but also admitted that she adored you."

"Really?"

His hair was down, she noticed. He had rushed out of the bathroom without tying it, and now he had unfortunately forgotten to tie it up. Then again, she didn't mind. The usual pineapple had been replaced by locks of dark hair that hung in a mane a bout an inch or two longer than her hair. A fringe almost as long as the rest of his hair hung randomly spread all over his face, with the occasional lazy attempt to blow a strand out of his eyes.

"You aren't going to tie it up?" she set the last dish away and shed her lime rubber gloves, to be met by her companion shaking his head and taking another sip out of his mug, strands getting into his mouth to be spat out in annoyance. Temari retrieved a hairgrip from her pocket, held it in her mouth as she brushed the fringe away from his surprised face and slipped it on him, a little above his left ear.

"Done," she grinned. He absent-mindedly fingered the accessory before concluding mentally that he did not like it. Yanking it off with his free hand, he tossed it back to his roommate.

"You forgot men don't usually use hair accessories that don't include hair gel, styling wax and a comb or hairtie?"

"I'm only trying to help, since you won't stop eating your own hair. Does it taste like chocolate or something?"

"It's only part of an experiment. When you went out with your hair down the other day I figured I would see how it would be like if I tried that. Curiosity."

She gave an uninterested 'humph' and poured herself some coffee. Tea would not be enough to keep her awake today, not with all the drama last night and that morning, courtesy of Kimiko. Now that she had kept the child pacified with the promise of a pretty yukata to call her own, she wondered if she was going to gain anything positive out of the brief child-rearing experience, other than getting a taste of parenthood and the prospect of ruined sleep. There had to be some other benefit to babysitting, right?

"I just remembered. You said you owed me gumdrops since Kimiko ate all of mine," she stated flatly, teal eyes narrowing and darkening as a cloud blocked the sunlight streaming through the blinds.

_Did I say that?_

_Yes, you did, and a man always keeps his promises._

His conscience, the annoying bugger. Eidetic memory helped the thing, reminding him ever so gently now and then of anything he thought he had forgotten, apart from the usual use of moral deliberation. It occasionally poked fun at him too, as if it were another mind altogether. Being a genius had its quirks.

"Lemon," she set her mug of coffee on the counter and made her way to the refrigerator with a sway of her hips.

"I'll take Kimiko to get her yukata after her show is over, and when I'm back, I expect a bag in here," a slender calloused finger pointed to an empty spot on a shelf next to a half-finished small carton of orange juice. She then grabbed the juice and emptied it of its contents.

"Get more orange juice too. As for where to get the gumdrops, there's a sweet shop a couple of blocks away from the Yamanaka flower shop. You know that place, right? I like the candy from there."

The little ruby-eyed girl skipped over and tugged on Temari's sleeve, ready to leave. She did not want her godfather to follow, as she wanted the design to be a surprise.

_Clever little girl. Nakimushi did a fine job raising her, even if she is a bit cheeky._

"Remember, there'll be hell to pay if I don't see gumdrops in the fridge," she warned, the door creaking closed to leave him with only his empty apartment for company. He inwardly sighed. He knew that sweet shop; he had been there on numerous occasions as a child, when he had saved enough of his pocket money after academy lessons. He did not have a lot of sugar cravings into his adult years, so he had not been there in a while.

With his hair experiment continuing, he tucked stray strands behind his ears and headed for the door, a lingering sense of uneasiness in the cool apartment air. This was going to be a long day.

-0-

"Hey, Nara, it's been some time!" smiled a middle-aged man with graying hair at the counter. The shop was small, with shelves stacked high with as many as five levels holding jars containing a mélange of sweets that one could only begin to comprehend the sheer variety of. The walls were off-white to the point of being lemon yellow, demonstrating the age of the tiny shop, but the ladder he remembered the owner would use to reach the higher levels of shelves still worked fine.

"A medium bag of lemon gumdrops and a small one of dark chocolate mints, Mitsunagi-san," he requested, looking about the shop. A sense of nostalgia overcame him and he was tempted to sneak a string of liquorices, which he did occasionally as a not-so well-behaved child. Resisting the urge, he stuffed his hands down his pockets, toying with his wallet. He earned his own salary now, so stealing would be out of the question. The owner had three standard sizes to make it easier for his customers, and Shikamaru remembered tiptoeing to place his carefully saved pocket money on the counter before ordering a small bag of whatever he felt like having that day, before sharing with Naruto and Chouji.

_Speak of the devil._

"Good morning, Mitsunagi-san!" announced Naruto, marching proudly into the shop while said shopkeeper packed Nara's order into a bag.

"The usual?" he smiled, handing Shikamaru his change. The hyperactive blonde nodded confidently as the man measured out a small bag of chocolate buttons from a jar at the counter.

"Put it on Shikamaru's tab, would you, oyabu?"

"Hey!"

He grumbled softly to himself and pulled out a note for the man.

"Just this once, Naruto," he warned. The whiskered young man nodded, but had his fingers crossed behind his back. He knew the cerulean-eyed one occasionally used chocolate as a bribe to get his students at the academy working harder, and it worked all the time. Mitsunagi made a remark on how Shikamaru's shaggy hair looked like a dog had shook himself dry after a bath, resulting in laughter from himself, Naruto and someone else in the shop, but not the person in question.

Yep. This was going to be a long day. Good thing he had the mints to snack on, because he would need all the comfort food he could get.

-0-

A/N: Still no ideas for a SasuTem oneshot, but I'd like to thank **montenaralove** for reading and commenting on every story I've written so far, and **Sand-Jounin-Temari** for all the support and encouragement ^_^. If I have time (school starts next week, argh, why?!) I might dedicate a story to you guys!

Thankies for the lovely reviews, virtual fat-free cookies for eveyone who reviews!


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